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The Central Ohio Paranormal Society was formed by founder Mike Robare and his wife Gena, along with our good friend Randy Garrison in the early summer of 2004. All three founding members have had a lifelong interest in the paranormal, as well as many personal experiences. After meeting up with some fellow ghosthunters one day by chance, we decided it was time to start our own team. We started out as a sub-group within the Ohio Exploration Society . COPS started small, investigating local Ohio haunted landmarks along with our friends from the OES, and even a few residences.
In the fall of 2005, we were joined by another investigator, Chris Tanner, who had ran a few of his own groups, as well as being a former member of the AGS (American Ghost Society), and a TAPS Family group.
Shortly after, we reformatted COPS and its goals, as well as separate from OES into an independent organization, solely dedicated to ghost research. As time went on, we added another investigator for the main team, Sam Clark. Central Ohio Paranormal Society now conducts investigations under the following informal guidelines:
1) Our goals are simple. We know we will never “prove” ghosts are real. When investigating a location we try to do the following:
A) Identify possible mechanical, environmental, or human explanations for reported phenomena. Test Theories and “debunk” if possible.
B) At the same time, assume it “is” haunted and attempt to gather as much evidence as possible. The main forms of evidence COPS concentrates on is video, audio, and photo.
C) If sufficient evidence is collected to suggest a real haunting, a more in depth background study is conducted. If sufficient evidence points to mechanical, environmental, or human causes, then a detailed explanation is drafted for the clients.
2) Conduct ourselves in an adult professional manner. Even though paranormal investigation is not exactly a “profession”, being a professional is more about how you conduct your business with your clients and the public at large.
3) Keep an open mind. Even though we as a team, do not believe in many practices considered “the norm” by most paranormal investigation groups, we have to keep an open mind simply because no one (at this point in time) can prove their belief is the correct one. This is the problem when your subject of study cannot be physically studied in a laboratory environment.
4) Do “our own thing.” COPS is not a group that takes from websites, and books as gospel. We have come up with many techniques and uses of equipment that others have not. The rationale for this is simple. “What do I want to test/study/get evidence of”…and then “What tool/method do I feel would work best to accomplish that?” Sometimes it mirrors what others do, sometimes it does not. This way of thinking has been what has led us to find many of the tools we use.
5) We are not, nor do we consider ourselves to be an authority on anything, or better than anyone. We do things the way we do them, because we feel it is the right way. We do our best to be upfront and honest about our accomplishments, as well as our limitations. When dealing with residential clients, we always keep in mind what is best for them. Sometimes, we offer, and get second opinions, from those in the field we feel are qualified to give them.
Overall, Central Ohio Paranormal Society will continue to study the subjects of ghosts and spirits, do our best to contribute new methods to try, and do what we feel is right. We enjoy helping out new groups/individual investigators with the right attitude, and still seek the opinions and experiences of those who have put in more time than us.
We hope you enjoy our website, and feel free to contact us with any questions.
